Puppy in Hiding
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: In order to save Dudley's puppy from Vernon Dursley's wrath, Harry flees together with the puppy. Set before and at the beginning of Harry's first Hogwarts year. Completely AU, an Animagus story. Main characters: Harry, the Weasley twins, Severus Snape
1. Chapter 1

**Puppy in Hiding**  
**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

* * *

It was the day after Dudley Dursley's eleventh birthday, and his cousin Harry Potter - the freak, as he was being called by his relatives - was only able to get a glimpse at the belated birthday present that Dudley received from his aunt, before he was locked into his cupboard.

_'Was that a dog?'_ he wondered, wishing that he had left the house right after making breakfast for the Dursleys instead of having to spend a beautiful summer day inside his cupboard under the stairs.

However, early enough should he get to know that it was indeed a dog, a Jack Russel terrier, which Dudley had got from his dog-loving Aunt Marge. When his aunt told Dudley that he had to take the puppy out for a small walk at least three times a day, Dudley refused vehemently, insisting to have Harry make sure that the dog would be sufficiently entertained.

_'That's great,'_ Harry thought to himself. _'That way I get to go out every now and then.'_ From now on, he spent two hours each day walking through Little Whinging with the cute, little puppy. Aunt Marge had named the dog "Chien", and Harry learned from a conversation between his aunt and uncle that it just meant "dog" in French. _'He's so cute,'_ he thought after tending to the dog for three days. _'It's just a pity that Dudley's decided to train him himself.'_

In annoyance, he listened from his locked cupboard, how his cousin ordered the dog to sit, shouting at the puppy, when he did not listen right away. _'How stupid is Dudley? Chien has to understand what he's supposed to do first,'_ he thought, angrily. _'Maybe I should leave the Dursleys and take Chien with me,' _he mused. _'So many years I've been waiting for someone to come and take me away from here, but no one ever came, so maybe I should take Chien away for his sake.'_

One day - it was the evening before his own birthday - when he just came back from a walk with Chien, he heard his aunt tell his uncle in an upset voice that Chien had destroyed one of her best hand bags. Hearing his uncle roar in anger, Harry finally made the decision. Before being seen by his relatives, he headed outside again and led the dog back to the playground.

HP

Seeing that no one was around, Harry changed into a dog like Chien. In fact, he had known for a few years that he was a shape-shifter - a fact, which he had found out by chance while trying to hide from his cousin. He was able to alter his appearance and also change into any animal he wanted.

=Hi Chien, it's me, Harry,= he addressed the other dog.

=You are a dog?= Chien queried in apparent surprise.

=No, I'm human, but I can change into animals,= Harry admitted. =Uncle Vernon was very angry at you and was surely going to punish you, so I thought I'd better take you away from there. Is it all right for you if we flee together?=

=Yes, that would be nice. You were the only one in that family who treated me well,= Chien answered immediately. =But where can we go? All the neighbours already know where we belong.=

=Let me think about it,= Harry said soothingly and feverishly pondered what to do.

The two dogs lay down in the grass to rest for a moment, before Harry decided on an action.

=Let's hide under the seats in Uncle Vernon's car,= he suggested. =In the morning, he's going to drive to London, and we can get out and walk through the town for a bit. Surely someone will take us with them and look after us.=

=Yes, that's a great idea,= Chien agreed immediately, gently licking Harry's left front paw.

The two dogs waited on the playground until it became dark, before they slowly returned to Privet Drive. Making sure that the street was as deserted as it usually was during the night, Harry transformed back into his human form, whereby he changed his appearance. As a red-haired boy with onyx eyes, he quietly opened the car, so that they could get in and hide under the seats. Harry carefully closed the door and once again changed into a Jack Russel Terrier like Chien. Curled up under the front passenger seat, the two dogs drifted off to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Harry was brought back to reality by the puppy's whining.

=I need to go out, or can I just do it here?= the younger dog asked, urgently.

Harry quickly transformed back into his human form and opened the boot of the car, placing the puppy in, so that he could relieve himself, before they both took on their former position, where they slept until the car suddenly began to move.

HP

Fortunately, Vernon neither noticed the presence of two small dogs in his car nor the faint smell in the boot, and an hour later, the man parked the car and walked away.

=Wait a little while, and then we'll get out,= Harry whispered to his friend.

=I'm starving,= Chien whispered back, causing Harry to hesitantly jump onto the back seat, where he changed in his human form in order to open the doors for them. _'At least no one can recognise me with red hair and black eyes and take me back to the Dursleys, and Chien looks like a normal dog, so no one will know him either,'_ Harry thought, before he transformed back to look like Chien.

A short while later, two small Jack Russel terriers were running around the streets of London, in search for some food. 'There,' Harry suddenly thought and jumped for a hot dog that was hovering over the street in the hand of a man, which from the stature reminded him of Vernon Dursley. He motioned Chien to race with him into a nearby park. Hiding in the bushes, he observed, smiling, how Chien devoured the hotdog with gusto.

=Now let's go and look for some water,= Harry finally said, and together, the two canines headed back out into the crowded street.

All of a sudden, Harry heard someone say, "Oh my, such cuties." A mere instant later, he felt himself being picked up and looked into a smiling face.

_tbc... (if there is interest in this story)_


	2. Chapter 2

**Puppy in Hiding**  
**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

* * *

_'Where's Chien?'_ Harry thought, almost panicking as he looked around, only to notice in relief that his puppy friend found himself in the arm of an equally red-headed boy as the boy, who was holding himself. _'Twins,'_ he realised, amazed. Both of them were wearing a genuine smile.

"Mum..."

"... look..."

"... May we keep them?"

"... please?" the twins began to beg their mother, who was standing behind them along with a couple of other red-headed kids.

"Ah, Fred, George, I'm sure they belong to someone," the mother replied, gently petting Chien's head. "They must be very young; otherwise they wouldn't have allowed you to pick them up and pet them so easily."

"But if they don't belong to anyone..."

"... can we keep them then?"

"... please?"

"Percy has got his owl..."

"... and Ron's going to have his rat..."

"... only we don't have any pets..." the twins simultaneously finished their tirade, causing their siblings and mother to laugh.

"Well, if they really don't belong to anyone, you may," the red-headed father, whom Harry only noticed now, because he had been standing behind his wife, relented.

"Hi there," the red-head, who was holding Harry, spoke up. "Do you belong to someone?"

Harry shook his head.

"Well then you both belong to us now," the twins cheered, simultaneously.

"Your mother is right. They seem to be very young," the father said, warningly. "You have to take good care of them, and you'll have to train them to obey. Otherwise, you won't be able to keep them at Hogwarts."

HP

During the following ten minutes, the red-headed family continued walking along the street, while the twins, who were still carrying Harry and Chien, eagerly discussed proper names for their puppies.

"George, let's name them Flash and Bang. This here's Flash," the boy, who was holding Harry, suggested to his brother, who immediately agreed.

"Hey, then you're Bang," George informed Chien, who tiredly opened an eye, only to drift back to sleep immediately.

When they arrived at the family's home, Harry realised with a combination of surprise and relief that at least the adults seemed to be freaks like himself.

HP

During the following weeks, not only the twins, but the whole family, who consisted of a bunch of children, among them only one girl, spent much time going for walks with the two puppies and also trying to teach them to obey to their commandos. Harry had to restrain himself to not obey too easily, in order to not alert anyone to the fact that he was anything else but a real dog. In the evening, however, it was always the twins who took them upstairs into their room, where they had placed two puppy beds for Flash and Bang.

While Bang needed a lot of sleep, _'probably because he's a real baby,'_ Harry thought, Harry as Flash often spent some time watching what the twins were doing. To his surprise, they had a black cauldron in their room, which they used to brew something that they called potions almost every evening. After listening in to their conversations multiple times, he understood that they were brewing joke potions, which could be used to make fun of other people. _'Oh I wished I could learn how to do this,'_ he thought, longingly observing the twins' every moves.

As the weeks passed, Harry realised that the children seemed to become more and more excited, and he slowly found out that they were going to attend a boarding school shortly. The school was called 'Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry,' and all the children except for the ten-year-old girl were going to Hogwarts. Ron seemed especially excited, as it was his first time to go there. Children under the age of eleven were not tolerated at the school. _'Oh I wished I could go together with Ron,'_ Harry mused. _'He's of my age, and he's a freak like myself and all the other Weasley children.' _However, he dare not change back to his human form and enquire about the school, afraid that the nice family would send him back to his relatives.

_'I hope we'll be able to stay with the Weasleys forever,'_ he mused. _'I really like the twins, and everyone else too.'_

Sometimes, the Weasleys left Flash and Bang in the twins' room just by themselves, when they had to leave the house for a few hours, and Harry decided to try teaching the puppy how to read. _'If we both can read, it'll be less strange if the twins find out that I'm capable of reading,'_ he thought. To his relief, Bang - as everyone called Chien now - was very intelligent, by the time when they finally left for Hogwarts, he already knew most of the letters.

HP

The morning, on which they were all supposed to travel to Hogwarts, was utter chaos. However, finally, the twins were sitting in a compartment together with their puppies and their best friend, Lee Jordan. The twins introduced their pets to Lee and began to talk in excitement.

"We thought that the puppies could help us..."

"... play pranks on the school..."

"... and maybe we should try to become Animagi..."

"... so we can properly communicate with them."

"That's an awesome idea," Lee, who seemed to be used to the twins' way of talking, agreed immediately. "Let's head to the library to look for a book with the instruction for the Animagus Transformation right after the feast tonight."

_'What are Animagi?'_ Harry wondered, having his eyes closed like his friend in order to not alert the boys that he was listening in to their conversation.

HP

A few hours later, the two puppies were sitting under the Gryffindor table, where the house-elves had overdone themselves to serve a dog meal for them. Harry was watching the Sorting ceremony with interest, deep in thoughts. _'I wished I'd have been able to attend Hogwarts as a student,' _he thought, _'but Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would have never allowed it. I wonder if they know that I'm a wizard and not a freak. I hope that the twins will take us to class with them, even if they're third years. I'll still be able to learn something about magic. Maybe I can convince them to take us with them. Knowing how much they're up for fun, maybe they wouldn't mind if I told them that I'm not a real dog.'_

He was brought back to reality, when the Deputy Headmistress, who was calling the first-years forward to be sorted by the Sorting Hat, suddenly called out, "Potter, Harry."

_'How does she know that I'm here?'_ Harry wondered, horrified, as he closed his eyes and snuggled close to Bang.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for the kind comments... thus the quick update, even if short. I don't need advice on Jack Russel terriers by the way, as we have one of these as a family member._


	3. Chapter 3

**Puppy in Hiding**  
**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

* * *

Harry as Flash was just about to fall asleep, snuggled against Bang, when voices from the Head table penetrated his ears.

"I wonder where Harry Potter might be," someone said, the female voice sounding worried.

_'No that can't be,'_ Harry mused. _'I don't know why they even know my name, but...'_

He was pulled out of his thoughts, when another, grandfatherly voice replied, "He never replied to the Hogwarts letter, and when I sent out Hagrid, he couldn't find him or his family. I'm sorry, Severus, but I need to ask you to pay the Dursleys a visit and enquire about Harry's whereabouts."

"Why me?" another voice asked back, seemingly angry. "Why would I go and look for a Potter?" He spat the last word, making the small puppy under the Gryffindor table cringe.

"Maybe because he's your best friend's son," another female voice informed the man, who did not even reply.

_'Probably he just glares at the woman. He doesn't sound nice. He seems a bit like Uncle Vernon,'_ Harry thought, annoyed.

"It's all right, Severus," the female voice, which had asked about Harry in the first place, spoke up again. "I'll go and look for him after dinner."

"Thank you Minerva," the other man with the soft, grandfatherly voice replied, his voice laced with a combination of gratefulness and relief.

_'Why do these people know me?'_ Harry wondered.

=Flash, are you not going to reveal yourself?= Bang suddenly asked in a soft voice.

=No I don't think so,= Harry replied, thoughtfully. =On the one hand, I really want to attend classes here, but on the other hand, everyone is so much friendlier to me, since I became a puppy, so let's just stay together here with the twins.=

HP

After getting a good's night sleep in their dog beds between the twins' four poster beds in the dormitory, the two puppies eagerly followed the twins. After breakfast, the dreaded moment arrived. The twins took the puppies back to the Gryffindor common room and instructed them to stay put until they were going to return from class at lunchtime.

Both dogs vehemently shook their heads and began jumping up and down at the twins.

"What's wrong?"

"What do you want?" the twins asked in apparent surprise.

In lack of any idea how to efficiently communicate with the twins, Harry slowly moved his paw over the floor, writing 'Class.'

"You want to go to class?" the red-heads blurted out, simultaneously. "When did you learn to write at all?"

The dogs merely shrugged and nodded their heads, causing a first year girl, who seemed so eager to attend classes that Harry had already heard the name 'Know-it-all' in combination with her, to come over to the twins.

"If you don't want to take them to class, I can take them," she offered, smiling.

Harry listened with interest, knowing that attending the first year classes would be the best that could happen to him. However, the twins refused and decided to take Flash and Bang to class themselves.

"You really have to behave yourselves..."

"... walk right behind us..."

"... stay close to us at all times..."

"... and be quiet in class..."

"... and don't pee in class," the twins instructed the puppies in their characteristic way of speaking, which Harry found amusing and unnerving at the same time.

HP

The third year's first class was Potions, and Harry realised soon that the professor was not fond of dogs to say the least. After a longer conversation between him and the twins, during which the professor even took points from Gryffindor, Flash and Bang were finally allowed to remain in the classroom, provided that they remained sitting under the table and did not move from their spots. The professor emphasized that he wouldn't take responsibility for any lost limbs.

=He's not so nice,= Harry whispered to Bang, thinking to himself, _'I think it's the man, whom they called Severus, who refused to go and look for me last night.'_

=I think he's a cat person,= Bang whispered back. =Maybe he either has a pet cat or is able to change into a cat like you can change into a dog.=

=That gives me an idea,= Harry whispered, chuckling. =I don't know if you remember that I can change my outer appearance...=

=Yes, I know,= Bang interrupted him, looking at him in expectation.

=You know how the twins love to prank their siblings. Maybe I could give them a bit of a surprise by changing into a cat later on, when we're alone with them,= Harry suggested, giggling. _'I have to do that, when we're alone with the twins though,'_ Harry mused, looking forward to seeing the twins' shocked expressions.

HP

That evening, the twins decided to use the Potions classroom in order to brew a newly developed prank potion, which they had not been able to brew at home due to the lack of ingredients. Having overheard a conversation between Professors Sprout and Flitwick about a staff meeting of all the Heads of House together with the Headmaster, they headed to the dungeons right after dinner, accompanied by two puppies.

While Fred and George busied themselves preparing the ingredients, Harry transformed into a marmalade kitten with emerald green eyes, before he resumed his former position under the twins' table, snuggled against Bang.

Bang let out an amused chuckle that came out as a light yowl, to which the kitten replied with a meaow, before it began to purr contentedly.

"Fred," George suddenly spoke up. "Do you hear a cat here anywhere?"

"I hear that," Fred replied, thoughtfully, before he asked, "Can dogs purr?"

Simultaneously, the twins glanced under the table, staring in surprise at the sight of the unequal couple of pets.

"Since when did we have a cat?..."

"... I thought we had two dogs," they said, giving their pets questioning looks.

_'I'll speak to them for a moment,'_ Harry resolved and transformed into a grey parrot, causing the twins to jump up in fright and bang their heads against the table, causing their cauldron to tilt and the light pink liquid to pour down all over the two boys, the puppy and the parrot.

_tbc..._

_Sorry for the shortness. I meant to make it a much longer chapter, but RL barely allows me to write, so I decided to post a short chapter instead of making you wait longer... Thank you so much for your kind feedback!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Puppy in Hiding**  
**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

* * *

"Hey, can you understand me?" Harry asked in his parrot form. "What does the potion do?"

The twins exchanged a glance, sighing simultaneously.

"Yes we can understand you..."

"... and the potion is harmless..."

"... It just makes people dance instead of walking," the twins admitted, before they suddenly remembered what had caused the accident.

"How come you're able to transform into other animals?..."

"... Is the dog form your real form?"

"Um, well, not exactly," Harry said in a small voice, not wanting to lie to the nice twins. "But let's leave it at that, please. Yes, I'm a dog." With that he changed back into his puppy form.

=This is very annoying,= Bang informed him, trying to make a few steps forward on his small feed that were unable to properly move forward as usual.

Before Harry could even try to walk, the door to the Potions classroom opened with a loud bang, and the tall Potions professor crossed the room in a fast speed.

"What do you think you're doing here?" he hissed at the twins, who immediately began to apologize.

"Sorry Professor..."

"... we merely brewed a small prank potion..."

"... for our House mates," the twins explained, dancing around the table while they hurriedly cleaned up their work space.

"Stop this dancing immediately," the professor sneered, before he seemed to have understood. "Don't tell me you were so stupid and let yourself being hit by the potion."

"Yes sir..."

"... sorry sir," Fred and George replied, trying to keep their feet's movement under control - in vain.

_'This is too funny,'_ Harry thought. _'I think I'm going to fly back to Gryffindor though.'_

"Fifty points from Gryffindor and detention here tomorrow evening for the unauthorized and unsupervised brewing in the Potions classroom," Snape hissed at the twins and threw them out. "Don't forget your waggling tails with ears," he sneered, "before they end up in a cauldron."

"No no," the twins replied, and while Fred grabbed Flash, George reached for Bang, and the puppies felt themselves being carried out of the classroom in a fast dance rhythm.

=That was funny,= Harry whispered to Bang, who immediately agreed and made a sad face, when Harry announced that he was going to change back into a bird in order to not have to walk.

"You know you're unfair..."

"... It was your fault that the potion exploded all over us..."

"... because you shocked us by your transformation," the twins said, reproachfully.

"Oh okay, sorry," the parrot replied, before Harry changed back into his puppy form. Together with the twins and his puppy friend, he danced all the way back to Gryffindor, where he let himself sink into his puppy bed in exhaustion.

HP

In the morning, the group of four danced to the Defence classroom. Harry sighed in relief, when he let himself sink next to Bang on the floor under the twins' table. Since the first day of classes, he had noticed that Bang had much more energy to run up and down the vast staircases than himself. _'Probably because I'm not a real dog,'_ he mused, _'and our legs are so small.'_ After having to dance all the way to the Great Hall and then to the Defence classroom, he felt utterly exhausted. _'I can't wait for the potion to wear off tonight,'_ he mused, absentmindedly licking Bang's right forepaw.

All of a sudden, his head exploded in pain, just when the Defence professor walked around their table to the teacher's table. _'That hurts,'_ he thought, miserably. One could not say that he was not used to pain. Often enough had Uncle Vernon hurt him; however, it was the first time for him to experience pain in his puppy form. Unfortunately, he found no relief from his headache before the end of the class.

"Come on quickly, we have to take you for a wee-wee before the next class commences," Fred told the puppies, causing Bang to happily jump around the boys. "Flash, come quickly," Fred called his pet, however, realised in concern that the puppy only followed in a very slow speed.

"Maybe we should skip History of Magic and take Flash to Hagrid. He knows a bit about dogs. Maybe Flash is ill," George said, thoughtfully, when they stepped out onto the grounds, so that the puppies could relieve themselves.

"Yeah, let's do that," Fred agreed and picked up Flash, who gratefully licked his face.

George resolved to carry Bang as well, and a few minutes later, they arrived at Hagrid's hut.

_'The grounds are gorgeous,'_ Harry mused. _'I'm so glad to be able to live at Hogwarts. I really like it here. Everyone is so friendly, and the classes are very interesting. Maybe apart from Defence. Transfiguration and Charms are the best. Potions might be good if I could watch them brewing, but I'm sure the professor would have a fit if we didn't remain under the table. I like it when they have a theory lesson. It's really interesting, and I'd like to learn more. Maybe I should change into my human form from time to time and read the school books or borrow some books from the library. Would the twins keep my secret if I told them that I was human?'_ he wondered.

HP

Hagrid spent a few minutes cuddling with the cute puppies, who both tried to lick his face at the same time, before he handed Bang back to George in order to check on Flash.

"I can' fin' anythin' wrong with the lad," he said, finally. "But maybe it would be better if ye let Professor Snape check on'em with a spell. He'd also be able to give ye the right potion if the lad needs any."

Giving the half-giant a terrified look, Harry jumped from his lap and ran towards the door, hiding in a small opening between the door and the next shelf.

"It's all right, Flash. We won't take you to Snape," Fred said in a soothing voice, cradling the small dog close, once he had managed to take him out of the small gap.

Once again carrying the puppies, the twins thanked Hagrid and returned to the castle.

"Don't you like Professor Snape?..."

"... Isn't he the nicest professor at Hogwarts?" they asked in their singsong.

Their voices somehow sounded annoying to Harry, who still had a headache, and he let out a small growl.

The remaining of the day passed uneventfully, although the twins occasionally looked at Flash in concern. However, by now, Harry's headache was gone, and he thoroughly enjoyed the Transfiguration class, in which the third-years had to transfigure plush cats into live cats and stun them before changing them back.

HP

After dinner, the four danced to the dungeons, feeling very annoyed that the potion still had to wear off.

The Potions Master greeted them in what seemed to be an even fouler mood than usual. He handed the twins two toothbrushes and ordered them, "Clean the classroom with these. Give me your wands. You'll find detergent cleaners and anything else you might require in the ingredients cupboard." With that the professor retired to his desk to grade some homework while supervising the twins' detention.

Fred and George handed over their wands and readied themselves to commence with their work. They led the puppies into the ingredients cupboard and instructed them to stay there, relieved that both puppies had learned to obey to their instructions.

While Bang drifted off to sleep very soon, Harry watched the twins clean the Potions classroom. _'How boring,'_ he mused. _'He should make them study instead of assigning such stupid and boring tasks.'_ Suddenly, he felt the urge to relieve himself, but knowing that he could not disturb the twins under the professor's watchful eyes, he decided to take care of business in one corner of the ingredients cupboard.

Unfortunately, the ingredients cupboard was still waiting for a student's detention to be cleaned, and the remants of an already dried potion found itself on the floor, just where the puppy relieved himself.

Harry observed, terrified, how his small, yellowish puddle grew bigger, while its colour turned pink as it interacted with something invisible. _'It's getting huge, and it stinks,'_ he realised, before he automatically took a few steps backwards, almost stumbling over Bang. Unfortunately, Bang jerked awake in shock and equally quickly dodged Flash, ending up bumping into a nearby shelf.

Due to the impact, several dozen potions phials crashed to the floor.

_'Oh no, the Potions professor will use our limbs as potions ingredients like he threatened before,'_ Harry thought, horrified, as he - together with Bang - fled from the cupboard and hid under a shelf in the classroom.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your many kind comments. I am sorry for making some of you worry. No, I am fine, just a bit busy at the moment. Thus the small chapters..._


	5. Chapter 5

**Puppy in Hiding**  
**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

* * *

"You imbeciles!" the professor spat. "Weasley and Weasley, I don't want to see these dogs in my classroom anymore. Now GET OUT OF HERE!"

HP

From that time onwards, the two puppies still insisted to accompany the twins to the Potions classroom and waited for them in front of the classroom door. However, during the Defence Against the Dark Arts class, the puppies did not only skip the class, but also used to remain in the common room.

"George, don't you think something is off?" Fred asked his brother one day, a week after their detention in the Potions classroom.

George scrunched his face in thought, before he replied, "If those were us, something definitely would be off. But do you think our dogs are pranksters like us?"

The twins chuckled, thinking of a plan how to find out about their pets' strange behaviour. However, it was only by chance that they suddenly realised what the dogs were doing. At fixed times during the day, they took the puppies out onto the ground, so that they could relieve themselves before the next class, and so far it had worked well. The puppies seemed to know what they were expected to do, and so far there had not been any happenings during class - apart from that remarkable detention. However, strangely, they suddenly began to sometimes refuse doing any business, and it was not one of the puppies but both, and one day, the twins realised that this always happened before their Potions class.

"Oh no," George spoke up. "Do you think what I'm thinking?"

"You mean we have to check the dungeon floor after Potions?" Fred replied, grinning.

However, the twins did not even have to inspect the dungeons corridor. As soon as they entered the Potions classroom, the irate professor's voice penetrated their ears.

"Weasley and Weasley, see to it that your stupid pet dogs don't do their business in front of my office door, let alone that of my private quarters. 100 points from Gryffindor for their insolence!"

The twins could not help blushing profusely, but to their relief, the whole class burst out laughing. Everyone of course knew the adorable puppies, and the whole school, even a huge part of the Slytherins, adored them because of their cuteness and intelligence.

HP

After the last afternoon class, Fred and George took the puppies out onto the ground for a stern conversation in private.

"Look..."

"... We really appreciate that you want to prank the greasy git..."

"... We'd love to do nothing else than play pranks on him..."

"... But you have to stop peeing in front of his doors..."

"... or he'll even take more points off Gryffindor."

=Pity, that was so much fun,= Bang said to Harry, who agreed full heartedly.

=I'm going to change into a parrot and talk to them,= he replied. =Is there anything you want me to tell them?=

=Maybe they can think of something, which we could do to help them. Perhaps we could make a mess in the Potions classroom at night or such.= Bang wiggled his tail in anticipation.

The twins looked at Harry in expectation, when he transformed into the form, in which they could properly communicate.

"He doesn't know that I can change forms, so I could prank him in my parrot form," Harry suggested, before he revealed Bang's idea to the enthusiastic twins.

The four friends spent the time until dinner discussing possible prank ideas for the Potions Master, with Harry transforming back and forth, interpreting between Bang and the twins. Finally, they decided to spend some time in the library during the weekend to search for a specific spell.

"If such a spell exists at all," George said, doubtfully.

"I'm sure it does because I saw it when we were looking for a spell to prank that awful rat of Percy's, oh well Ron's now," Fred replied, grinning.

"Can we go during the nights?" Harry enquired, giving the twins a pleading look. "Then I could help too."

Double pairs of quirked eyebrows answered his question, and at midnight on Friday night, the twins quietly left Gryffindor with their pets in tow.

When they arrived at the library, Harry changed into his human form, for the first time in months, still having his red hair and onyx eyes. The twins stared at him in disbelief.

"Oh well, don't ask. I left home with Bang, whose name was originally Chien, because my cousin and uncle weren't nice to him," he explained quickly, before he turned his eyes to the Charms bookshelf.

"We promise that we won't give away your secret..."

"... but can you please at least tell us your name?" the twins queried, stunned.

"Flash is fine with me," Harry replied, smiling.

During the next few hours, the friends busied themselves skimming several Charms books; however, it was only on Sunday night that they found what they were looking for.

HP

On Monday morning, right before their Potions class, the twins cast the newly found spell at their pets, which enabled them to jump into any of the paintings at Hogwarts.

"Too bad that people would know if we went into the pictures with them," Fred said to George, observing the puppies jump to great a friendly old couple in a herb garden.

"That's true, but maybe we can use it at night sometime," George agreed. "Let's hope that Snape won't catch them."

HP

While the Potions Master was teaching the third year Gryffindors and Slytherins a double Potions class, two small puppies made their way through the paintings until they reached their aim - the portrait of Salazar Slytherin that was guarding the Head of Slytherin's private quarters.

=I think we should only do things, which he can easily reverse with a spell,= Bang whispered to Flash, who agreed immediately.

=Yes, we should do that, but I so feel the urge to pee on those papers on the table,= he replied, =sorry for that.=

Apart from destroying a huge pile of homework, the two small pranksters merely took items from one room to another, turning the Potions Master's rooms in utter chaos - as far as possible on their small legs. 'But as Bang said, he can easily reverse it,' Harry thought, as they readied themselves to leave the place of crime.

When they jumped back into the portrait of Salazar Slytherin, the old wizard grabbed Flash, growling, "What do you think you've been doing in these rooms, you imbeciles?"

Harry let out a miserable yowl at the strong grip, which was only released, when Bang bit the wizard in his ankle. Together the puppies fled and only left the paintings through the portrait of the Fat Lady, who was guarding the Gryffindor common room.

HP

"Too bad that we couldn't see Snape's reaction..."

"... Yes, we should have thought of something more visible," the twins said, when they headed to dinner that evening, unaware that they'd soon see the Potions Master's reaction.

Between the main dish and the desert, Professor Snape suddenly rose from his chair.

"Weasley and Weasley, bring your dogs here to the Head table," he sneered, casting the twins a menacing glare.

Hesitantly, Fred and George carried Flash and Bang to the Head table, feeling reassured by the fact that the Headmaster and their Head of House were sitting next to the Slytherin Head.

"Put them here," Snape ordered them.

Fred and George placed the puppies on the table as they had been told and instructed them, "Sit."

Multiple "aww"s could be heard throughout the Hall, when the puppies obediently sat on the Head table.

Suddenly, the Potions Master pulled two identical phials out of his robe pocket.

"Severus, what are these?" McGonagall enquired in a sharp voice, causing the twins to cast her a grateful look.

"It's a mere prank potion, which those pranksters truly deserve. It's completely harmless, at least for animals," Snape explained, before he, in a quick sequence of wand movements, spelled the potion from the first phial into Bang, whose skin changed to a bright green colour and began to let out colourful sparkles.

However, as soon as the professor repeated the process spelling the potion of the other phial into Flash, it became evident that the effect was anything but harmless for an Animagus, and professors and students stared at the scene in shock. Madam Pomfrey was the first to get a grip on herself. Immediately turning into Healer's mode, she sped around the table, already drawing her wand.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments!_


	6. Chapter 6

**Puppy in Hiding**  
**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

* * *

Bang let out a terrifying yowl and immediately began to growl at the Potions Master, seeing that Flash was transformed back into his human form by the potion, letting out miserable moans.

"His body is covered by third degree burns," Pomfrey announced in a grave voice. "Severus, you know what to do."

"Yes," the Potions Master replied and, seemingly in auto mode, swept out of the Great Hall in a vampire-like speed.

"Madam Pomfrey..."

"... Will Flash make it?" the twins asked in concern.

"I hope so. He's in a bad shape. I'm going to take him with me now," the Healer replied, apparently trying to maintain composure, as she put the badly injured boy on a stretcher.

An instant later, Bang jumped onto the stretcher and sat next to the one living being that he loved most.

"What does Snape think he's doing?..."

"... How dare he use such a potion on our pets?" the twins complained to their Head of House, when they followed Madam Pomfrey and Harry together with the Headmaster and his Deputy.

"Usually Professor Snape is very careful, my boys, and he wouldn't have used the potion had he known that one of your puppies was an Animagus," Professor McGonagall replied, sounding clearly shocked.

"Do you by chance know who the boy is?" the Headmaster queried.

"No sir," the twins replied, simultaneously, resolving to check the Marauders' Map at the next opportunity.

HP

The twins absentmindely observed how Pomfrey placed Harry into the bed next to her office and immediately began to wave her wand over him. However, the instant Professor Snape stormed into the room with a batch of potions on his arm and began to equally intensely tend to the boy, Pomfrey shooed everyone out.

"No..."

"... we won't leave," the twins contradicted in the same way as Bang, who had taken his place next to Harry's head and would not follow any instruction to get down from the bed.

"Flash belongs to me," Fred said, sounding angrier than anyone could remember having heard one of the twins speak before, let alone to the professors.

"Now shut up," Snape replied, irritated. "We need to concentrate in order to save the boy's life."

Before any of the twins could reply, the Headmaster cast a silencing spell on the small group, before he asked, pensively, "Messrs. Weasley, did you know that your puppy was an Animagus?"

"And if so?" Fred queried in an upset voice. "Yes, he shared his secret with us and told us why he had decided to live as a puppy together with Bang..."

"... But it wasn't our secret to share," George added, firmly.

During the following three hours, the two professors and two students remained silent, observing how the Healer and the Potions Master fought for the small boy's life. Finally, they both let their wands sink.

"There's nothing more that we can do for him at the moment," Pomfrey addressed the spectators. "However, he needs constant monitoring, and therefore Severus is going to take him to his quarters, at least during the weekend."

"No," the twins protested vehemently.

However, before they realised what happened, the Potions Master scooped up the boy and carried him to the fireplace, vanishing through the Floo within an instant.

"Bang, come here," George called his puppy, who obeyed immediately.

"Go and look after Flash..."

"... Come back to us to report frequently," the twins instructed the puppy and whispered the incantation that enabled the dog to travel through the portraits.

"What was that my dear boys?" the Headmaster enquired, smiling at the children.

However, the twins glared at the old wizard, before Fred replied, "As long as I'm not allowed to visit my familiar, this has to remain our secret. I'm sorry Professor."

With that Bang dashed away, and the twins returned to the common room to write a letter to their mother, while they waited for Bang to return with news about Flash.

"When I went to the washing room earlier," George spoke up on their way back to Gryffindor, "I checked the map."

"Oh I didn't know that you had it with you," Fred replied, quirking an eyebrow. "And? Who's he?"

"We shouldn't tell anyone," George whispered. "He's Harry Potter."

The twins decided to keep Flash's secret to themselves, before they thoughtfully climbed through the portrait hole, where their housemates were waiting to bombard them with questions.

HP

Severus sighed, as he lowered himself into the chair next to the bed in his guest room, where an unknown boy was fighting for his life.

_'Who is he?'_ he wondered. _'He has Lily's hair and my eyes. But that's impossible. I never slept with her. Plus she already has a son with bloody Potter. I hope the boy will make it. Otherwise I might end up in Azkaban. Although I couldn't know that one of the imbecile dogs was an Animagus. Leave it to the Weasley twins to make an Animagus their pet.'_

He was brought back to reality, when the other puppy raced into the room and jumped onto the bed, lying down right next to the boy's head.

_'Disgusting,'_ he thought, seeing that the puppy began to eagerly lick the boy's face. _'How did that dunderhead get in here at all?'_ he wondered.

All of a sudden, he was again pulled out of his musings, when an alarm at one of the devices, to which the boy was connected, went off, alerting him to the fact that the boy's life was in utmost danger.

As if he was afraid of the sound, the small puppy dashed away, vanishing out of the door, before Severus knew what happened. Only now did he realise that the puppy's presence had strangely calmed him. _'What else can I do to help the boy?'_ he thought, feverishly. _'I can't have him die. It's my fault. How could I be so reckless?'_

Just when Severus had cast a series of spells at the child, the puppy returned in a speed that was incredible for his small legs. He resumed his earlier spot and began to bark at the boy. Only a moment later, the twins followed their familiar, leaving the professor to wonder how they had been able to intrude into his private rooms.

HP

Harry felt worse than he had ever felt before. _'I'm dying,'_ he thought. _'What happened?'_

All of a sudden, Bang's voice penetrated his foggy mind.

=Flash, can you hear me? The twins said you must change into a phoenix. Phoenixes can't die. It'll save your life,= Bang said, urgently.

"Flash, transform into a phoenix. That'll help. You'll be fine. Flash, quick!" Fred instructed him.

Without further thinking, Harry changed into the form of a fire phoenix. For an instant, he felt as if he was burning, not only from the outside like earlier, but also from the inside. But then, all of a sudden, the feeling was completely gone, and he felt fine. _'It's cold,' _he mused, _'but other than that I feel fine.'_

An instant later, he felt himself being scooped up and gently wrapped into some warm cloth.

#Fanku# he trilled, feeling incredibly safe and happy in Fred's hand.

HP

"We're going to take him with us," Fred informed Snape, glaring at the professor.

"I take it you know how to care for a baby phoenix?" the Slytherin sneered, before he took 200 points off Gryffindor from the twins for intruding his private quarters.

"We're going to ask Fawkes," George replied, icily, as they hurried out of the Potions Master's rooms.

HP

Professor Dumbledore, who was just engrossed in a discussion with Professor McGonagall, looked up in surprise, when the twins entered the room carrying a baby phoenix, with the Potions Master on their heels.

"Bang saved Flash's life," Fred informed the Headmaster. "If he hadn't spied on Snape and Flash, Flash would be dead by now."

"Severus?" Dumbledore queried, giving the Slytherin Head a questioning look.

"Yes, his injuries were too bad," Snape admitted in a voice that for once held no malice.

"Don't you think you should at least apologize to Flash for what you did to him?" Fred blurted out, incredulously.

"How could I know that he was an Animagus? Usually, children come here to study and not roam the castle as dogs," the professor replied with a sneer on his face.

"Now now Severus," the Headmaster said, calmingly. "Messrs. Weasley, I can assure you that Professor Snape never intended to kill anyone and that he is as relieved as I that you managed to save your familiar's life. Now I suggest that you put... Flash... next to Fawkes on his perch. Maybe he could tell Fawkes his identity and the reason for coming here as an Animagus."

Harry felt himself being placed next to Fawkes. Apparently noticing that he was shivering violently, the older phoenix gently spread his wings over him to efficiently warm him.

#Fanku Fawkes,# Harry trilled, before he said thoughtfully, #Fawkes, pwease tell de Headmaster that it doesn't matter who I am. I twansformed into a puppy to save Bang's life, and de twins were so kind as to take us in. At dat time I didn't even know about Hogwarts. When they bwought us here, I loved it a lot, and especially I like the classes. Everything is so vewy interesting...# He slowly trailed off, waiting for Fawkes to translate for the Headmaster, who then repeated what he had said to everyone else.

"Seeing that you're a human boy though, you'll be able to properly attend Hogwarts as a student," Dumbledore replied, smiling at the small bird.

#No sir# Harry refused. #Seeing that a Hogwarts teacher just twied to kill me, I don't feel safe enough at Hogwarts in my human fowm, and I don't intend to attend Hogwarts as a student. But I wish to attend classes together with the twins and Bang like I did so far, except fow Potions, where we were kicked out, although I weally liked the Potions class.#

"My dear boy," the Headmaster replied, "are you sure that you want to spend your whole life as a dog? You should properly attend classes and take your OWLs and NEWTs."

"Headmaster..."

"... Flash can take his OWLs and NEWTs together with us," the twins spoke up.

"So far he has attended classes and even studied together with us..."

"... and he is very intelligent..."

"... Please allow our familiars to attend all classes..."

"... Otherwise we're going to tell our mother about the attempted murder."

Seeing that Snape cast the Headmaster a horrified look, Harry inwardly chuckled.

"Minerva, what do you think?" Dumbledore asked his Deputy, who had so far quietly followed the conversation.

McGonagall smiled at the twins. "I trust Messrs. Weasley and suggest to allow the boy to attend classes in his Animagus form, although this is probably the first time in the history of Hogwarts." Directly turning to Harry, she said in a friendly voice, "If you have any questions concerning classes or anything else or if you just want to speak about something, feel free to come to me at any time. I'll always be here to help you."

Harry profusely thanked the Gryffindor Head, resolving that he would really do so if he had any problems or questions. _'She seems really nice,'_ he thought.

"Flash, would you like me to change you back into your puppy form and cast a spell on you that prevents anyone from transforming you back against your wishes?" McGonagall asked gently, smiling at the baby phoenix.

#Yes pwease# Harry replied, smiling at the professor.

The twins profusely thanked the professor, when she finally let her wand sink.

"By the way, just so you know..."

"... His real name was Harry Potter," Fred and George informed the professors, before they made their way back to Gryffindor, with two happy puppies in tow.

The End

_Thank you all so much for your continuous support of this story! There will be a small epilogue..._


	7. Epilogue

**Puppy in Hiding**  
**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

* * *

**Epilogue I**

"What?" Dumbledore blurted out in disbelief, and his colleagues noticed in annoyance that the windows began to shake from the Headmaster's anger. "We need Harry Potter to become a proper student and to be trained in order to fight Voldemort. Minerva and Severus, you must gain his trust and speak with him."

McGonagall let out a snort. "Albus, don't tell me you believe in prophecies, especially one made by Sybil, probably the only one that she has ever made."

"Exactly," Snape agreed in a small voice.

"Anyway, since he did not have Lily's hair and Severus' eyes as a baby, but James' hair and Lily's eyes, he obviously is a shape shifter," the Headmaster continued his tirade, "and this must be his ability, about which Voldemort doesn't know. Minerva and Severus, I know that you have both feline Animagus forms, but perhaps you should try to transform into a dog as well in order to gain Harry's trust."

McGonagall rolled her eyes at her older colleague. "I'm going to speak with the Weasley twins about the matter, but other than that I will leave Harry in peace."

The Potions Master nodded his consent. "Minerva, if there's anything you need me to do, I'll be here," he promised in his soft, baritone voice.

**Epilogue II**

Almost four and a half years later, Severus Snape bowed deeply in front of the Dark Lord, uttering, "My Lord."

As soon as he was allowed to retreat to his spot between the other Death Eaters, he unobtrusively pulled a small mosquito out of his robe pocket. An instant later, the mosquito transformed into a Pasquito - a pink, magical mosquito, which was equipped with a poisonous sting.

While the Death Eaters busied themselves kissing their Lord's robes and talking to each other, the small insect made his way to Voldemort's throne. Before anyone even noticed his presence, he buried his poisonous sting into the evil wizard's cheek three times in a quick succession. Feeling the other wizard's blood, he pulled off and returned to the Potions Master, where he transformed into a very tiny fly that could barely be discovered by anyone. From the professor's hand, the small animal observed how the most evil wizard of all times collapsed in front of his audience.

_'Well done,'_ he heard Snape commend him telepathically, causing him to smile.

With that he transformed into a fire phoenix, and as soon as he felt the professor grab his back feathers, he flashed back to Hogwarts, arriving right in front of the Potions Master's private quarters.

"Thank you Flash. You managed to vanquish him for good," Snape spoke up, rolling up his left sleeve, where the Dark Mark was fading into non-existence.

Harry transformed back into his human form, changing his hair to dark blue, before he replied, "Thank you Professor. I was really lucky that everything worked so well." With that he transformed back into his favourite form - that of a Jack Russell terrier.

"Are you ready to take your NEWTs in two weeks' time?" the professor queried, causing the dog to nod eagerly.

"Well, you know where to come if you need any help, be it with Potions or anything else," Snape offered in a soft voice, knowing how well the boy had managed to take his OWLs almost two years ago.

Flash waggled his tail and gently licked the older wizard's hand, knowing that the professor would understand it as a positive reply, meaning that he was going to join the Potions Master for some quality brewing time during the weekend.

With that Flash hurriedly returned to Gryffindor, knowing that Fred, George and Bang were worriedly waiting for him. _'Well, that's done,'_ he mused. _'We won the war, now I only have to get through my NEWTs, and then the twins and I can begin to build our Magical Menagerie on the spot of the former Shrieking Shack. I'm the happiest dog - or boy - in the world, having a wonderful family with Fred, George and Bang as well as the whole Weasley clan plus two brilliant mentors like Professors McGonagall and Snape.'_

He quickly licked the Fat Lady's feet, knowing that she would hurry to open the portrait hole for him in order to not be further tickled. A mere instant later, he dashed into the common room, jumping on to every single student, before he finally came to join his family in front of the fireplace.

**THE END**


End file.
